Batten Down faced divisional leaders Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna - the latter of whom notched her latest Grade 1 victory on Saturday - in his most recent start at Saratoga prior to coming back to Churchill Downs. The colt was thus sent away as the favorite as he faced likely easier competition in the $300,000 Bourbon Flight Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday beneath the twin spires, and showed his class as he rolled to a 5 3/4-length victory, setting a track record.
Batten Down ($3.06) is dangerous on the lead, and got that position on Saturday, although he had company early. He held a half-length lead over Next Level through an opening quarter of 23.19 seconds on the fast main track, and the half in 47.07. Then he began to pull away from that one, opening better-than-a-length lead through six furlongs in a sharp 1:11.04. From there, he was never seriously challenged as he widened to the wire.
Batten Down finished the 1 3/16 miles in 1:54.66, easily eclipsing the prior mark of 1:55.97 set by Idol in 2020.
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“He's still trying to figure things out and I think will continue to get better with age,” said jockey Junior Alvarado, who has ridden Batten Down in his last six starts, and also regularly works him in the mornings for trainer Bill Mott.
“We went a little fast early in the race, but he was doing things very comfortably. I could tell I had a lot of horse when we turned for home, and he just cruised down the stretch.”
Hades, a graded stakes winner earlier this year, moved up from third to be a best-of-the-rest second, 2 3/4 lengths clear of Elephants Ear. Mugatu, Next Level, and Real Macho rounded out the order of finish.
Batten Down is a Juddmonte homebred by Tapit and out of champion Close Hatches – making him a full brother to graded stakes winners Tacitus and Scylla. He took some time to come to hand, as many from this family do. His breakout performance was locally at Churchill Downs, as he led throughout and dominated a 1 1/4-mile maiden special weight by 8 3/4 lengths this spring, in his fourth career start.
From there, Batten Down led throughout to win the Grade 3 Ohio Derby at 1 1/8 miles. He was a fine third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga, behind Eclipse Award champion juvenile Fierceness and classic-placed Grade 1 winner Sierra Leone. He then led early in the Grade 1 Travers, chased by Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch, before weakening to finish fifth behind Fierceness, Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna, Sierra Leone, and Dornoch.
The Bourbon Flight was one of four stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday at Churchill Downs, offering both sprint and route options for both colts and fillies.
The sprint counterpoint to the Bourbon Flight, the $300,000 Harrods Creek, was won by Henro ($13.94) in a mild upset. The gelding and jockey Rafael Bejarano were last of six after the opening quarter-mile as Valentine Candy, already a five-time stakes winner, set a pressured pace. When the leaders faded, Henro rallied to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Jefferson Street, who had been fourth early.
The time for the seven furlongs was 1:21.84.
Henro was cutting back in distance after winning the Iowa Derby and finishing fourth in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby last time out.
Miss Justify ($4.72) earned her second career stakes win by holding off her Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Life Talk in the $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes.
The Seneca was for fillies going two turns; jockey Luis Saez swept both this race and the sprint race for the division, the Grade 3, $300,000 Dogwood Stakes with My Mane Squeeze.
Miss Justify ($4.72) was always well placed as she tracked the pace of multiple graded stakes winner Chatalas early. She took a length lead into the stretch, and then held off the charge of Life Talk - a graded stakes winner who is also Grade 1-placed - by half a length. It was 1 3/4 lengths back to Chatalas in third.
The time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.14.
Miss Justify won the Wilton Stakes, a mile race at a 1 1/2-turn configuration out of the Wilson Chute at Saratoga, in her stakes debut. She was then fourth in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes, an effort that made her the post-time favorite Saturday.
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